Chapter 6 Expedition Planning (Part 2)
Although what Yulia said made Lebida feel even more chilled down his spine, and he was also frightened while sitting on the horse, but that was all he could do now. He recited silently in his heart, "Wealth and wealth are obtained in danger", but to Are you not rich enough now? Lepidus would acquiesce in this unbreakable truth in his heart: in peaceful times, drugs are just drugs; in turbulent times, there are many types of drugs, such as power, army, war, etc., and this is a drug that only belongs to men.
Finally, at the foot of Sutra Mountain, they met Pompey, who had come to "change the team" for a secret talk. Pompey was actually followed by Cassius and another general, both riding on horseback, separated by a third of a furlong. They smiled awkwardly and awkwardly at each other, and then Crassus took the initiative and asked Pompey to help him in his expedition, "Because we are friends now, aren't we?"
Everyone came to a vineyard in the Sutra Mountains and started discussing under the simple roof of the farm. Although Crassus spoke very politely, he still subconsciously regarded himself as the leader of the "three-headed monster" and chattered enviously about Pompey. The martial arts with Caesar meant that he also aspired to make achievements in the East. Even Pompey was tired of hearing about this topic.
"This is natural. No tribune, including Aetius, can stop your expedition. I guarantee it with my honor. The people of Rome do not need to care. Their mentality is that they are afraid of the consuls. Leaving the city suddenly during his term of office made them lose the sense of security." Pompey stepped on a stone with one foot and kept giving Crassus gas. "But I will continue to stay in the city of Rome and will still serve as the governor of Spain. And the censor of the Senate. I believe that as long as I speak in the city, no one will stop you. Also, if you go to the East at the end of this year, will you? Would it be too hasty?”
Crassus was still panting due to the fatigue of pommeling the horse before. After all, he was an old man in his sixties. Under the reflection of Pompey, who had experienced many battles, he was still in high spirits. But he seemed sluggish and dull. The figure sitting on the stone with his back slightly bent made even Lepidus feel a little unbearable, but his words were still very firm, "In October, I will step down as consul. We went to Brindisi to assemble and train my legions, and Lepidus went to Cyrene at the same time. Then, when the next consul came to power, we ended our winter camp in Syria and divided our forces."
When they heard the word "split the army and attack", Pompey and Cassio reacted at the same time. But they easily suppressed their inner opinions and looked meaningfully at Lepidus. He understood that this must be Lepidus' plan.
Pompey changed the subject and began to ask Crassus about his lieutenant configuration. The other party replied, "The two most capable people." They were Sensolinus and Megabe. The former was from a noble family and was proficient in speech and finance, while the latter had followed him in battles since the Sword Slave Rebellion and was an experienced and brave officer. In addition, his son Crassus will also come to join him next year with the Gallic cavalry. Not to mention Lepidus, he is standing in front of you. I heard that he had a little friction with you about the inheritance of tuna.
"You are wrong. The one who had friction with this rookie general was Cato the Younger, not me. I was only supervising Cato's reading of his will as a consul." Pompeo slyly shied away the responsibility, and then pointed Pointing to the two people next to him, "Since Caesar has sent such outstanding generals as your son and Lepidus as your team, I can't be too stingy - this young man in his early thirties, Casio, has all-round military talents. , Of course, I will not misjudge the person. The old guy next to him is my former long-term lieutenant Ota Guvis. As long as he is in charge, no one will die. "
These conditions made Crassus feel extremely comfortable, and the vineyard was suddenly filled with laughter and laughter. The old man hugged and high-fived everyone, promising them rewards in the future, "By the way, I have another gift for you." My friend is a great chief named Akbarus on the Red Sea. He also has a very wide influence in the local area, a large number of livestock and tents, and is very proficient in the local customs and geography. It is most suitable for him to be a guide. But that’s it.”
As Pompey was speaking, Lepidus was beside him, quickly carving the names of each person on a writing board, but Crassus didn't seem to care too much about this, and was more like a born Stoic optimist.
When everyone went to the vineyard stables to get the horses, Casio suddenly walked in front of Lepidus who was late and said with gnashing teeth, "You were the one who instigated it, right? You are ruining everyone!
Lepidus chuckled, "There are so many murderers. Do you think that Caesar, Pompey, and even Cato the Younger are not the ones? As far as I know, the only person who opposed the expedition was an upright tribune named Aetius. Who am I, an insignificant gravedigger, or a servant singing spiritual songs?”
Kaxiyue shook his head on the spot, pointed at Li Bida and said, you are avoiding responsibility and covering up your vicious intentions.
"There is no vicious intention. Isn't now the best time to go on an expedition? Reliable intelligence shows that a huge riot against Parthia is breaking out in the city of Seleucia. If you were an aide of Crassus, how would you judge ?" Li Pida said with a smile.
The man opposite was slapping the vineyard fence fiercely. He was really speechless. The chariot of death was rumbling forward in the direction directed by the driver of fate. Everyone was a chess piece tied to it. The same goes for Kaxiyo himself.
When Lepidus went to the stable with his back to him, Cassius suddenly laughed and said it was interesting, "I decided to survive. No matter what, I must survive this expedition. I have to see what you will look like in the future."
"I hope we can all return to Rome alive. The old era is about to end." In the twilight, there was a dragonfly that only survived the slightly hot weather in early autumn in Italy. It gently landed on the shoulder of this foreigner. He didn't know whether he said this to Cassius or to himself, "Is the purpose of my appearance in this world to make the storm of the times more violent?" At this time, more and more dragonflies appeared from nowhere, frantically flapping their thin wings in the red twilight, circling and dancing. The two people looked at the green mountains over there, being swallowed by the shadow of a huge rain cloud - the real storm is coming.
On the Emilian Avenue, in the pouring rain, Crassus, sitting in a sedan chair covered with a canopy, squinted his eyes and shouted to Lepidus, who was riding a horse next to him, "We can reach Rome tomorrow evening. I need to go to the Temple of Vesta to ask Lisilia about the fate of the expedition. You come with me."